2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

1. Patrick Daly Worcester Polytechnic Institute
2. Mitra Varun Anand http://orcid.org/0009-0000-3081-6367 Worcester Polytechnic Institute [biography]

   Mitra Anand serves as the Associate Director of Makerspace, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in addition to being an Adjunct Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

   Anand's research interests lie in combining hands-on Maker skills with an entrepreneurial mindset and value creation, aiming to develop practical solutions for real-world problems. He is enthusiastic about innovation in engineering education, design thinking, prototyping, program development, crafting interactive curricula, and bringing ideas to fruition.

   With over 9 years of experience in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Anand possesses a solid background in Innovation and Entrepreneurship education, Additive Manufacturing, and Digital Fabrication technologies. He has taught lectures and workshops on advanced subjects to more than 1000 undergraduate engineering students and 150 graduate students, while advising on over 500 student and faculty research projects.

   His academic credentials include an M.B.A in Organizing Innovation and Product Management from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, M.S. in Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering from New York University and a B.E in Mechanical Engineering from Anna University.

3. Dr. Curtis Abel http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4061-5467 Worcester Polytechnic Institute [biography]

   Curtis Abel, PhD, MBA is the Executive Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (I&E) at WPI. He is responsible for the I&E eco-system, Value Creation Initiative, Maker Space & Rapid Prototyping Lab, and Massachusetts Digital Games Institute. He joined WPI in 2015 as a Professor of Practice through the support of the Kern Family Foundation to create a vibrant entrepreneurial mindset culture on campus with both faculty & students. Prior to WPI, Curtis has 20+ years of experience in leadership positions at large corporations, including American Express, MasterCard, United Retail, and Bethlehem Steel. He’s held full “Profit and Loss” responsibility for several multi-million-dollar businesses, generating double-digit annual growth for each. He also held positions in new business development, marketing, strategic alliances, and R&D implementing new technology into manufacturing facilities. Curtis holds a Ph.D., ME and BS from Carnegie Mellon University in Materials Science & Engineering and Chemical Engineering, respectively, and an MBA from Cornell University. He also held international Postdoctoral Fellowships at Cambridge University and Technische Universität Wien.

4. Prof. Ahmet Can Sabuncu http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-7905-421X Worcester Polytechnic Institute [biography]

   Dr. Sabuncu holds a Ph. D. in Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University. Dr. Sabuncu's professional interests spans from engineering education research, history of science and engineering, thermo-fluids engineering, and microfluidic technology.

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